GOSPEL DOCTRINE
Selections from the Sermons and Writings
of Joseph F. Smith
Sixth President of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
PREFACE
President Joseph F. Smith was so long in the public service of the Church
that his published sermons and writings would fill many volumes. The difficult
problem of the compilers of this volume has been to make a collection of
extracts that would do full justice to the man and that, at the same time,
could be contained in a volume of moderate size. Every reader who knows Church
literature will note the shortcomings of the work; and none more than the
compilers. However, incomplete as it may be, this collection is well worth
while, for it contains a wealth of gospel wisdom, to instruct, comfort, and
inspire the Saints.
The literature of the Church has been carefully and systematically
searched to discover all of President Smith's public writings and sermons.
Those of a historical nature have not been used in this collection, as they
may well be made into another volume.
The compilers give their thanks to the many who, with hearts full of love
for President Smith, have helped in the work.
The work has reaffirmed to us that prophets, speaking for God, are with
us.
THE COMPILERS.
INTRODUCTION
President Joseph F. Smith incidentally stated on one occasion that when
he should pass away, unlike many of his brethren, he would leave no written
work, by which he might be remembered. It was his modest way of viewing his
own ministry and literary labors, for President Smith would live in the hearts
of the people even if he had said nothing for the printed page; but on the
contrary, it was discovered that there are volumes in print, though at that
time it had not been gathered and was therefore not so well known.
One of the compilers of this volume, Dr. John A. Widtsoe, listening to
his remark, thought to himself, "certainly it cannot be true that he has left
no written work." He then decided to look into his published writings and
sermons, conceived the idea of making extracts from them and arranging these
extracts by subjects and in chapters, in the form of a book. The result is
this splendid volume now presented to the public under the title GOSPEL
DOCTRINE.
Doctor John A. Widtsoe interested his brother, Prof. Osborne J. P.
Widtsoe, also Albert E. Bowen, Doctor F. S. Harris, and Joseph Quinney, in the
work of compiling and classifying from the voluminous writings and sermons of
President Smith, such extracts as would bear upon the subjects chosen for
consideration -- subjects covering a wide range in gospel doctrine and
philosophy, as taught by the Latter-day Saints. Lorenzo N. Stohl generously
paid the expenses of the work.
Without price, and as a matter of love for the work in hand, these
brethren proceeded with the compilation, had four typewritten copies prepared,
nicely bound and titled, and were privileged, sometime before the death of the
President, to offer him the first typewritten copy of the work, with their
love and gratitude for his life, his example, and his inspired teachings, as
well as for his gentle kindness and constant helpfulness to each of them.
Needless to say, the presentation and the work were gladly accepted and
gave President Smith great delight.
The Committee on Study for the Priesthood Quorums, being apprised by the
compilers of the work, conceived the idea, under the initiative of Elder David
O. McKay, of the Council of the Twelve, of making it a text book for the
Priesthood. The volume is now presented to the Melchizedek Priesthood Quorums
of the Church for [page vi] their study and consideration. To accompany it is
"A GUIDE" for the direction of teachers and students, and adopted for
convenience in reference and study.
The sermons and writings of President Joseph F. Smith teach, in wisdom
and moderation, practically every essential doctrine of the Latter-day Saints
concerning the present life and the life hereafter. Not only that, but they
abound in helpful counsel and advice on everyday practices in right living,
stated in simple and persuasive language. President Smith's sermons and
writings breathe the true spirit of the Gospel, are sound as gold in tenet and
precept, and express the will of the Master in every word. Gathered,
classified, arranged, and printed as in this volume, they constitute a
compendium of the doctrine and teachings of the Church that we believe will
stand as a safe guide for its members for generations to come.
In presenting this compilation to the public, we are confident that every
reader will be fully repaid in its perusal, containing, as it does, rich and
vital selections from the sayings, teachings and sermons of one of the
foremost prophets of the Lord in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times.
COMMITTEE ON COURSES OF STUDY FOR THE PRIESTHOOD, SALT LAKE CITY, MAY,
1919.
GOSPEL DOCTRINE
CHAPTER I
TRUTH, THE FOUNDATION
OUR HOPE FOUNDED ON TRUTH. Our hope of salvation must be founded upon the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, for we cannot build upon
error and ascend into the courts of eternal truth and enjoy the glory and
exaltation of the kingdom of our God. That cannot be done. -- Oct. C. R.,
(October Conference) 1917, p. 3.
THE GOSPEL FOUNDED IN TRUTH. I have no fears in my heart, or mind, that
that which is called "Mormonism" -- which is indeed the gospel of Jesus Christ
-- will not bear the scrutiny of science and the researches of the learned and
literate into all truth. The gospel of Jesus is founded in truth. Every
principle of it is susceptible of demonstration beyond any just reason for
contradiction. The Lord is doing his work and will do it, and no power can
stay it. -- Oct. C. R., 1908, p. 127.
TRUTH, THE FOUNDATION. We believe in righteousness. We believe in all
truth, no matter to what subject it may refer. No sect or religious
denomination in the world possesses a single principle of truth that we do not
accept or that we will reject. We are willing to receive all truth, from
whatever source it may come; for truth will stand, truth will endure. No man's
faith, no man's religion, no religious organization in all the world, can ever
rise above the truth. The truth must be at the foundation of religion, or it
is in vain and it will fail of its purpose. I say that the truth is at the
foundation, at the bottom and top of, and it entirely permeates this great
work of the Lord that was established through the instrumentality of Joseph
Smith, the prophet. God is with it; it is his work, not that of man; and it
will succeed, no matter what the opposition may be. We look now at the
opposition arrayed against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
and smile, so to speak, with feelings of confidence, doubly assured by the
experience of the past, in comparison to the feelings that possessed the souls
of our fathers and mothers in the early days of the Church, when they were but
a handful, with all the world arrayed against them; just a few poor, homeless
people, driven from their possessions, cast out from the communities in which
they sought to establish themselves and build their homes. When I think of our
people, thrust into the wilderness, wandering and seeking for a place where
the soles of their feet might rest, and see, then, the world arrayed against
them, and think of the little chance that appeared before them, for success
and the accomplishment of their purposes, I wonder that more of them did not
tremble and falter than did; but some of them were true in the midst of it
all, even unto death. If it had been necessary for them to have been martyred
for the truth, willingly would they have given their lives, as they gave all
else that they possessed in the world, for the knowledge they had of the
divinity of the work in which they were engaged. Are we as faithful today? Are
we as devout as our fathers were? Oh, my God, help me to be as true as they
were! Help me to stand as they stood, upon the pedestal of eternal truth,
that no power on earth, or in hell, may remove me from that foundation. This
is my prayer to the Lord for my own sake, and it is my prayer to him for every
Latter-day Saint throughout the length and breadth of the world. -- Apr. C.
R., (April Conference Report) 1909, p. 7.
MAN SAVED BY TRUTH. We have no ill feelings in our hearts toward any
living creature. We forgive those who trespass against us. Those who have
spoken evil of us, and who have misrepresented us before the world, we have no
malice in our hearts toward them. We say, let God judge between them and us;
let him recompense them for their work. We will not raise a hand against them;
but we will extend the hand of fellowship and friendship to them, if they will
repent of their sins and come unto the Lord and live. No matter how malicious
they may have been, or how foolish they may have acted, if they will repent of
it we will receive them with open arms and we will do all we can to help them
to save themselves. I cannot save you; you cannot save me; we cannot save each
other, only so far as we can persuade each other to receive the truth, by
teaching it. When a man receives the truth he will be saved by it. He will not
be saved merely because some one talks to him, but because he received and
acted upon it. The gospel is consistent, it is common sense, reason,
revelation; it is almighty truth from the heavens made known to man. -- Apr.
C. R., 1902, p. 86.
GOSPEL TRUTH CAN NOT BE SUPERSEDED. There is no science, nor philosophy,
that can supersede God Almighty's truth. The Lord has said, "My word is
truth," and indeed it is; and I believe that the Latter-day Saints know enough
about the word of God to know it is his word when they see it and shun
whatever is not; and that they will abide by the word of God, for it is truth.
As the Savior said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." I
believe that the Latter-day Saints, and especially the leading men in Israel,
have sufficient knowledge and understanding of the principles of the gospel
that they know the truth, and they are made free by its possession -- free
from sin, free from error, free from darkness, from the traditions of men,
from vain philosophy, and from the untried, unproven theories of scientists,
that need demonstration beyond the possibility of a doubt. We have had science
and philosophy through all the ages, and they have undergone change after
change. Scarcely a century has passed but they have introduced new theories of
science and of philosophy that supersede the old traditions and the old faith
and the old doctrines entertained by philosophers and scientists. These things
may undergo continuous changes, but the word of God is always true, is always
right. I want to say to you that the principles of the gospel are always true
-- the principles of faith in God, of repentance from sin, of baptism for the
remission of sins by authority of God, and the laying on of hands for the gift
of the Holy Ghost; these principles are always true and are always absolutely
necessary for the salvation of the children of men, no matter who they are or
where they are. These principles are always true, and you cannot get away from
them. No other name, under heaven, is given, but that of Jesus Christ, by
which you can be saved or exalted in the Kingdom of God. No man can enter into
the kingdom of heaven except he be born again of the water and of the Spirit.
These principles are indispensable, for God has declared them. Not only has
Christ declared them by his own voice, and his disciples from generation to
generation, in the olden time, but in these latter days, they have taken up
the same testimony and declared these things to the world. They are true today
as they were true then, and we must obey these things. -- Apr. C. R., 1911,
pp. 7, 8.
MAN'S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT. The greatest achievement mankind can make in
this world is to familiarize themselves with divine truth, so thoroughly, so
perfectly, that the example or conduct of no creature living in the world can
ever turn them away from the knowledge that they have obtained. "In the
footsteps of the Master," the greatest of all the teachers that this world has
ever received, is the safest and surest course to pursue that I know of in the
world. We can absorb the precepts, the doctrines and the divine word of the
Master, without any fear that the exemplar will fail of carrying out and
executing his own precepts and fulfilling his own doctrines and requirements.
From my boyhood I have desired to learn the principles of the gospel in
such a way and to such an extent that it would matter not to me who might fall
from the truth, who might make a mistake, who might fail to continue to follow
the example of the Master, my foundation would be sure and certain in the
truths that I have learned, though all men else go astray and fail of
obedience to them. We all have heard of people who have pinned their faith to
the arm of flesh, who have felt that their belief, their confidence and their
love for the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ would be shattered, if
their ideals -- those possibly who first taught them the principles of the
gospel -- should make a mistake, falter or fall.
I know of but One in all the world who can be taken as the first and only
perfect standard for us to follow, and he is the Only Begotten Son of God. I
would feel sorry indeed, if I had a friend or an associate in this life who
would turn away from the plan of life and salvation because I might stumble or
make a failure of my life. I want no man to lean upon me nor to follow me,
only so far as I am a consistent follower in the footsteps of the Master. --
Juvenile Instructor, 1915, Vol. 50, pp. 738, 739.
TRUTH AND RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL PREVAIL. I do not expect any victory, any
triumph, anything to boast of, to come to the Latter-day Saints, except upon
the principles of righteousness and of truth. Truth and righteousness will
prevail and endure. If we will only continue to build upon the principles of
righteousness, of truth, of justice, and of honor, I say to you there is no
power beneath the celestial kingdom that can stay the progress of this work.
And as this work shall progress, and shall gain power and influence among men,
so the powers of the adversary and of darkness will diminish before the
advancement and growth of this kingdom, until the kingdom of God, and not of
men, will triumph. -- Apr. C. R., 1914, p. 4.
REALITY OF THE FAITH OF THE SAINTS. There is no doubt in the minds of
Latter-day Saints in relation to the existence and personage of the Lord God
Almighty, who is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. There is no
doubt in the minds of Latter-day Saints that Jesus is the Son of God, being
begotten of the Father in the flesh. And there is no Latter-day Saint in all
the world but knows as truly and as fully as God can impart that knowledge to
the soul of man, that he shall live again after death, and that men and women
shall be associated together as God has ordained, and they have been united by
his power, to dwell together forever and forever; and they shall know as they
are known, they shall see as they are seen, and they shall understand as God
understands; for they are his children. -- Apr. C. R., 1907, p. 39.
MEANING OF SCIENCE. True science is that system of reasoning which brings
to the fore the simple, plain truth. The Savior of the world was pre-eminently
the Scientist of this earth, and the truths he uttered 1900 years ago have
withstood the assaults of science and prejudice and hate. -- Logan Journal,
Logan, February 6, 1912.
ALL TRUTH FROM GOD. Let us sustain the cause of Zion. Let no man speak
lightly of the principles of the gospel. Let no one treat lightly the
ordinances of the house of God. Let no one hold in derision the Priesthood
that the Lord has restored to the earth, which is the authority that he has
given unto men. Let no man look contemptuously upon the organization of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as it has been established in the
earth through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith, whom the Lord
raised up when he was but a child to lay the foundation of the same. Let no
man treat these things lightly or doubtingly; but let every man seek earnestly
to understand the truth and teach his children to become familiar with those
truths of heaven that have been restored to the earth in the latter-days. I
believe with all my soul in God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. I believe with all my might, mind and strength in the Savior of the
world, and in the principle of redemption from death and sin. I believe in the
divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I believe in all the truth that I
know, and I believe that there are many principles of eternal truth that still
lie hidden from me and from the understanding of men, which will yet be
revealed by the power of God unto his faithful servants. I believe that the
Lord has revealed to the children of men all that they know. I do not believe
that any man has discovered any principle of science, or art, in mechanism, or
mathematics, or anything else, that God did not know before man did. Man is
indebted to the source of all intelligence and truth, for the knowledge that
he possesses; and all who will yield obedience to the promptings of the
Spirit, which lead to virtue, to honor, to the love of God and man, and to the
love of truth and that which is ennobling and enlarging to the soul, will get
a cleaner, a more expansive, and a more direct and conclusive knowledge of
God's truths than anyone else can obtain. I tell you this, because I know it
is true. The Lord Almighty lives; he made the heavens and the earth, and the
fountains of water; and we are his children, his offspring, and we are not
here by chance. The Lord designed our coming, and the object of our being. He
designs that we shall accomplish our mission, to become conformed to the
likness and image of Jesus Christ, that, like him, we may be without sin unto
salvation, like him we may be filled with pure intelligence, and like him we
may be exalted to the right hand of the Father, to sit upon thrones and have
dominion and power in the sphere in which we shall be called to act. I testify
to this doctrine, for the Lord has made me to know and feel the truth of it
from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. I love good, honorable men
-- even men who may be mistaken, as far as their judgment is concerned, but
who try to do right; I love them for the reason that they are my brethren, the
sons of my Father, and I would that they might all see the truth as it is in
Christ Jesus, and accept it, and receive all the benefits of it, in time and
throughout all eternity. If the Lord has revealed to the world the plan of
salvation and redemption from sin, by which men may be exalted again into his
presence and partake of eternal life with him, I submit as a proposition that
cannot be controverted, that no man can be exalted in the presence of God and
attain to a fulness of glory and happiness in his kingdom and presence, save
and except he will obey the plan that God has devised and revealed. -- Apr. C.
R., 1902, pp. 85, 86.
THE SAINTS MAY KNOW THE TRUTH. To the faithful Latter-day Saint is given
the right to know the truth, as God knows it; and no power beneath the
celestial kingdom can lead him astray, darken his understanding, becloud his
mind or dim his faith or his knowledge of the principles of the gospel of
Jesus Christ. It can't be done, for the light of God shines brighter than the
illumination of a falsehood and error; therefore, those who possess the light
of Christ, the spirit of revelation and the knowledge of God, rise above all
these vagaries in the world; they know of this doctrine, that it is of God and
not of man. -- Oct. C. R., 1909, p. 9
HOW THE TRUTH MAY BE KNOWN. It is a wicked and adulterous generation that
seeketh after a sign. Show me Latter-day Saints who have to feed upon
miracles, signs and visions in order to keep them steadfast in the Church, and
I will show you members of the Church who are not in good standing before God,
and who are walking in slippery paths. It is not by marvelous manifestations
unto us that we shall be established in the truth, but it is by humility and
faithful obedience to the commandments and laws of God. When I as a boy first
started out in the ministry, I would frequently go out and ask the Lord to
show me some marvelous thing, in order that I might receive a testimony. But
the Lord withheld marvels from me, and showed me the truth, line upon line,
precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, until he made me to
know the truth from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet, and until
doubt and fear had been absolutely purged from me. He did not have to send an
angel from the heavens to do this, nor did he have to speak with the trump of
an archangel. By the whisperings of the still small voice of the Spirit of the
living God, he gave to me the testimony I possess. And by this principle and
power he will give to all the children of men a knowledge of the truth that
will stay with them, and it will make them to know the truth, as God knows it,
and to do the will of the Father as Christ does it. And no amount of marvelous
manifestations will ever accomplish this. It is obedience, humility, and
submission to the requirements of heaven and to the order established in the
kingdom of God upon the earth, that will establish men in the truth. Men may
receive the visitation of angels; they may speak in tongues; they may heal the
sick by the laying on of hands; they may have visions and dreams; but except
they are faithful and pure in heart, they become an easy prey to the adversary
of their souls, and he will lead them into darkness and unbelief more easily
than others. -- Apr. C. R., 1900, pp. 40, 41.
HOW MAN LAYS AN IMPERISHABLE FOUNDATION OF TRUTH. But the men and the
women who are honest before God, who humbly plod along, doing their duty,
paying their tithing, and exercising that pure religion and undefiled before
God and the Father, which is to visit the fatherless and the widows in their
afflictions and to keep oneself unspotted from the world, and who help look
after the poor; and who honor the holy Priesthood, who do not run into
excesses, who are prayerful in their families, and who acknowledge the Lord in
their hearts, they will build up a foundation that the gates of hell cannot
prevail against; and if the floods come and the storms beat upon their house,
it shall not fall, for it will be built upon the rock of eternal truth. I pray
that this vast congregation will build upon this imperishable foundation, upon
the principle expressed by the words of Joshua, "as for me and my house, we
will serve God," and as also expressed by Job, "though he slay me, yet will I
trust in him." If you have that spirit toward God and his work in these latter
days, you will build steadily and slowly, it may be, but surely, upon a
foundation that will endure throughout the countless ages of eternity. And if
you do not get any great manifestations, you need not worry about it. You will
get the testimony of Jesus Christ in your hearts, and you will know God and
Jesus whom he has sent, whom to know is life eternal, just as well as those
who receive visions. For those who do receive visions, the devil will try to
make them believe that they were delusions, and if they commit sin, he will be
sure to make them believe it. God bless you, is my prayer. Amen. -- Apr. C.R.,
1900, p. 42.
REWARD OF ALL HONEST PEOPLE. In some instances you will find examples of
people out in the world who do not know as much as you do of the gospel of
Jesus Christ, who have not the testimony of the Spirit in their hearts, as you
have, of the divinity of Christ and of Joseph Smith, who are just as devout,
just as humble, just as contrite in spirit, and as devoted to what they know,
as some of us are, and they will be rewarded according to their works, every
one of them, and will receive reward far surpassing anything that they dream
of. -- Apr. C.R., 1912, p. 8.
THE GOSPEL IS SIMPLE. Some subjects are in themselves, perhaps, perfectly
harmless, and any amount of discussion over them would not be injurious to the
faith of our young people. We are told, for example, that the theory of
gravitation is at best a hypothesis, and that such is the atomic theory. These
theories help to explain certain things about nature. Whether they are
ultimately true can not make much difference to the religious convictions of
our young people. On the other hand, there are speculations which touch the
origin of life and the relationship of God to his children. In a very limited
degree that relationship has been defined by revelation, and until we receive
more light upon the subject we deem it best to refrain from the discussion of
certain philosophical theories which rather destroy than build up the faith of
our young people. One thing about this so-called philosophy of religion that
is very undesirable lies in the fact that as soon as we convert our religion
into a system of philosophy, none but philosophers can understand, appreciate,
or enjoy it. God, in his revelation to man, has made his word so simple that
the humblest of men, without special training, may enjoy great faith,
comprehend the teachings of the gospel, and enjoy undisturbed their religious
convictions. For that reason we are averse to the discussion of certain
philosophical theories in our religious instructions. -- Juvenile Instructor,
Vol. 46, pp. 208, 209, April, 1911.
OUR KNOWLEDGE IS LIMITED. Our methods in speculation and reasoning about
the things of God may often be harmless; but if we depart from the simplicity
of God's word into a spirit of rationalism, we become the victims of vanity,
which endangers the true spirit of worship in the human heart. It is not easy
for men to give up their vanities, to overcome their preconceived notions, and
surrender themselves heart and soul to the will of God which is always higher
than their own. The dangers of religious speculations are as great today as
they were in the days of Christ, and if we would avoid these dangers we must
adhere to the simplicity of our religious beliefs and practices. When men and
women realize they are getting into deep water where their footing is
insecure, they should retreat, for they may be sure that the course they have
been taking will lead them more and more away from their bearings which are
not always easy to regain. The religion of the heart, the unaffected and
simple communion which we should hold with God, is the highest safeguard of
the Latter-day Saints. It is no discredit to our intelligence or to our
integrity to say frankly in the face of a hundred speculative questions, "I do
not know."
One thing is certain, and that is, God has revealed enough to our
understanding for our exaltation and for our happiness. Let the Saints, then,
utilize what they already have; be simple and unaffected in their religion,
both in thought and word, and they will not easily lose their bearings and be
subjected to the vain philosophies of man. -- Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 46, p.
269, May, 1911.
BLESSINGS FOR THE LOVE OF TRUTH. If you love the truth, if you have
received the gospel in your hearts, and love it, your intelligence will be
added upon, your understanding of truth will be expanded, become larger than
in any other way. Truth is the thing, above all other things in the world,
that makes men free -- free from indolence and carelessness, free from the
fearful consequences of neglect, for it will be a fearful consequence, if we
neglect our duty before the living God. If you will learn the truth and walk
in the light of truth, you shall be made free from the errors of men and of
crafts; you will be above suspicion and above wrong-doing of every
description. God will approve of you and bless you and your inheritances, and
make you prosper and flourish like a green bay tree. -- Improvement Era, Vol.
21, p. 102, December, 1917.